Ryan Lemons Teaches How To Varial Flip

As wakeskaters continue to take their skateboarding skills to the water, the tricks being performed are a lot more technical and skateboard influenced. After mastering the backside pop shuvit and the kickflip, the natural thing to do would be to combine the two into one trick. This is how the varial flip was born. In this trick tip, Integrity Wakeskates team rider, Ryan Lemons, walks you through the steps you will need to take in order to land your first varial flip. Lemons is well known by the Wakeskating.com community for frequently landing tricks such as the varial flip, hard flip and others not yet mentioned.

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Prerequisites
Before doing a varial flip, you should be able to do the following things:
1. Ollie
2. Pop Shuvit
3. Kickflip

As with any flip trick, the first step is to get your feet in the proper position to perform the ollie and flick. For the varial flip, your feet should be positioned the same way you set them up for a kickflip. Lemons likes his back foot as close to the edge of the tail as possible with his front foot about one third of the way between the middle of the board and the nose.

Now that your feet are set up correctly, you are ready to do a varial flip. Cut out the same way you would for a shuvit or a kickflip, straiten off, and try to pop the highest backside shuvit you possibly can. Remember to jump as high as you can because you will need a lot of air time to allow the board to complete the spin under you. As your board is leaving the water and the nose is still higher than the tail, roll your front foot over and flick the board with your front foot directly in front of you. Throw the shuvit with your back foot.

While the board is spinning under you, suck your feet up high so that the board doesn't hit your feet. Watch the board to time and anticipate the catch.

Once you see the board coming around and completing the rotation, find the grip and catch the board with both feet at the same time, rather then your back foot like a kickflip. Try to keep your feet spread wide so you don't slip out on the landing, then stick it to the water and ride away.

Other Tips

It may help to speed up about 2 mph faster than you normally ride. By speeding up, your board will ride higher in the water, allowing you to release the board a lot faster. Remember that varial flips take a lot of power, so get ready to flick it hard.

Lemons threw this one in the flats, but if you want to learn them from going inside out, the same rules apply.